My theory on the afterlife/spirits in different cultures

***I posted this in a different topic board here but it was ignored. I think it would be more appreciated here since it is more in tune with what is discussed on this board***

This thread is for those who are open to the concept of something after death. Namely, those who believe our spiritual selves survive after our physical selves expire.

I was watching a documentary about native culture and some of the beliefs and rituals they have. As you know, native people are generally very spiritual and many believe their ancestors are always around, spiritually, to provide guidance and protection.

The documentary was pretty amazing (I don't know the name, I'm sorry) and it got me to thinking...Maybe these native cultures have it right? I mean, it seems to work for them right? The phenomena they experience is incredible, and it made me wonder if maybe their views on the afterlife and spirits are right?

But then I realized it's the same for other cultures too...They all have their beliefs and they all seen to ring true for them. Eventually, I came to a conclusion and formulated this theory.

See, I am of the belief that IN GENERAL, our spiritual selves survive after we die. For the most part, we can't affect the physical world in this form (though we can sometimes, leading to "ghosts" or whatever), but we're there, floating around, watching, protecting, etc...

But the reason why so many different cultures of spirituality seem to be "correct" is because as spirits, we remember what we have been taught and continue along those same lines as spirits. So for native persons, their spiritual selves behave the way they always taught to, when alive. If you're told that you must protect your family or provide spiritual guidance, then you'll do it.

Do you see where I'm going with this? We live on as spirits no matter what...But the reason why different cultures of spirituality all seem "correct" is because as spirits, we behave how we are taught to behave in life. The same way that when we're alive, we follow different religions or cultures simply because we have been taught to.

So in the end, there is no religion or culture that is "correct". We will live on, spiritually, the way we were taught to live on. What is important, in the end, is that we live (both physically and spiritually) in a positive and constructive way.

Well Dave, looked like this one was going to get ignored too so I decided to offer my 2 cents on the matter. Its a very plausible theory you have. To me it all falls into the line of thinking that we create our own reality. If we have a certain expectation of an afterlife, then if the soul or spirit lives on, it would exist as it expected to exist. This may account for some spirits remaining in the world and others maybe moving on to a heaven or hell.

I love hearing 'what if's' about the afterlife. Thanks.